• Recipes Index
  • About
  • Contact

Real Life Dinner

Recipes your real life family will love!

  • Dinners
  • Desserts
  • Seasonal
  • Slow Cooker / Instant Pot
  • Quick and Easy
  • $10 Dinners
  • Maria’s Favs
Home
  • Recipes Index
    • Dinners
    • Desserts
    • Seasonal
    • Slow Cooker / Instant Pot
    • Quick and Easy
    • $10 Dinners
    • Maria’s Favs
  • About
  • Contact

March 13, 2023 Leave a Comment

Sour Cream Ambrosia Salad

A Polish pottery bowl of Sour Cream Ambrosia Salad.

 If you’re looking for a blast from the past, mix up a bowl of this delicious Sour Cream Ambrosia Salad. More than likely, your grandma or mom made this when you were growing up. This simple old-fashioned ambrosia salad hit all the flavor texture points. Pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and sweet coconut are all held together with creamy, tart sour cream. Not sure who came up with this combination, but it’s a classic for a reason. It’s definitely one of those “don’t knock it till you try it” recipes.

Mix up a batch soon. It makes a great side dish for holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter. Who doesn’t love a side dish that’s also a conversation piece? My Aunt Jan’s Wheat Salad is another awesome “seems strange, but it’s delicious” recipe you’ve got to try. 

More Delicious Recipes for Easter

  • Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Eggs
  • Holiday Ham {Perfect for Easter and Christmas}
  • Chocolate Dipped Coconut Cream Easter Eggs
  • Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
  • Maple Balsamic Roasted Carrots
  • The Best Dinner Rolls

STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS for how to make sour cream ambrosia salad

5-photo picture collage of step-by-step photos for how to make Sour Cream Ambrosia SaladMini marshmallows, mandarin oranges, pineapple and coconut mixed together in sour cream in a peacock-patterned bowl.Frequently Asked Questions about how to make Sour Cream Ambrosia Salad

what is ambrosia salad?

It is a fruit salad that comes from the South. Another name for it is Five Cup Salad. Most recipes contain mandarin oranges, pineapple, coconut, and mini marshmallows in a mixture of mayonnaise, whipped cream, sour cream, yogurt, or cottage cheese. Some people even add nuts and maraschino cherries. 

what is a good substitute for sour cream?

Sour cream adds a tart flavor to the salad and balances out the sweetness of the fruit and marshmallows. If you don’t like sour cream, you can substitute it with Greek or plain yogurt. Another alternative is whipped cream, but I only recommend using whipped cream if you’re going to serve it immediately. Otherwise, the salad will become runny from the fruit juices. 

A Polish pottery bowl of Sour Cream Ambrosia Salad.can I make Ambrosia salad ahead of time?

Absolutely. Making it ahead of time allows the flavors to mingle together, making it taste even better, and one less dish to prepare the next day.

What other types of fruit do you recommend for this salad?

What is great about ambrosia salad is you can tailor it to your liking. You can use fresh fruit in place of canned fruit or even replace the pineapple with a can of fruit cocktail.

how should I store the salad?

In an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Two-photo Pinterest picture of Sour Cream Ambrosia Salad with the text of the title separating the two in the middle.chef’s tools:

  • Can Opener
  • Mandarin Oranges
  • Colander/Strainer
  • Mixing Spoons
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Serving Bowl with Lid

Green Salad Recipes You've Gotta Try!

A serving of Sarah's Salad in a bowl with a fork sitting on the rim on the left. The bowl is sitting on a cloth yellow and white dotted napkin. The text of the title is at the top and underneath the title are the words "One bite and you'll be hooked."Sarah’s SaladLayered Salad of lettuce, celery, water chestnuts, carrots, hard boiled eggs, crispy bacon, tomatoes, frozen peas, and dressing.Layered Salad {The Dressing is DELISH!} {TMH}sunshine-salad-the-best- fall-salad-everSunshine Salad….The Best Fall Salad EVER!

Sour Cream Ambrosia Salad
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
5 mins
Total time
15 mins
 
This simple, old-fashioned ambrosia salad hit all the flavor texture points. Pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and sweet coconut are all held together with creamy, tart sour cream. Such a fun blast from the past!
Author: Recipe from Pam Braithwaite
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained
  • 1 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
  1. Make sure the mandarin oranges and pineapple pieces are completely drained. I prefer to put them in a strainer over a bowl and let them sit for at least 10-20 minutes. (If you don't let them drain well, your salad will be runny.)
  2. Once they are properly drained, get a medium-sized mixing bowl and combine all of the ingredients. Stir well, but gently, until everything is covered with sour cream.
  3. You can serve immediately or let the flavors mingle covered in the refrigerator before serving. Tastes good either way. 🙂
  4. Enjoy!
3.5.3251

 

Easter Treats Your Kids will Love!

A mini Cadbury egg blondie with a bite out of the corner sitting on a small white plate with Cadbury Mini Eggs scattered around and two more cut blondies sitting on white plates in the background.lCadbury Mini Egg BlondiesNo-bake Birds Nest Cookies sitting on a Silpat mat on top of a cookie sheet.No-bake Birds Nest CookiesA large bowl of Funfetti Cake Batter Muddy Muddy BuddiesFunfetti Cake Batter Muddy Buddies
Pinterest picture with the text of the title of the recipe at the top.

Christmas, Easter, Holiday, Ingredients, Marshmallow, More, Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes, Sour Cream, Thanksgiving
ambrosia fruit salad, ambrosia fruit salad recipe, ambrosia fruit salad with sour cream, ambrosia salad, ambrosia salad recipe, five cup salad, five cup salad recipe, how to make ambrosia salad, sour cream ambrosia dessert, Sour Cream Ambrosia Salad, sour cream ambrosia salad recipe
Leave a Comment

Like it? Share it!

Yum

Subscribe & never miss another recipe!

Sign up above and receive delicious family-friendly recipes directly in your email inbox!

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Welcome friends!

Hi, I'm Maria. A mom of five and a total foodie. My superpower is taking ordinary recipes and making them DELICIOUS. Your family will LOVE these meals! Come cook with me, I promise it will be amazing! Get started here or search my archives below.


When you start your Amazon shopping here, I receive a small percentage of the sale. Thank you for supporting Real Life Dinner.

Housekeeping

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Meet Maria

Hi, I'm a professional recipe developer, with a degree in teaching and a minor in nutrition. I love helping busy families, like mine, "eat good" despite their crazy schedules...join the fun! Start here

TEST

SIGN UP FOR MY FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER DELICIOUS FAMILY-FRIENDLY RECIPE

The Best of the Season

Classic-Broccoli-Salad-RecipeFresh-Strawberry-Jam-Recipe-made-with-sure-jell-less-sugar-recipe---Mediterranean-cous-cous-salad-recipe-with-chickenAmazing Strawberry Cheesecake Pastry Bites. Only four ingredients and Soooo Delicious! side bar-Old-bay-potato-salad

Recent Posts

  • Broccoli Slaw Salad
  • Easy No-Egg Banana Bread
  • Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil
  • How to Make Easy Non-Toxic Laundry Detergent
  • Chocolate Zucchini Bread
  • Stuffed Zucchini Soup
  • Oven Baked Dutch Oven Potatoes
  • Simple yet “Fancy” Christmas Eve Dinner Ideas for Busy Families

Copyright © 2025 Real Life Dinner  •  All Rights Reserved  •  Privacy Policy  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs